Veterans 
honored Wednesday

Wednesday has been set aside to honor the men and women who have served the country in the armed forces. Organizations and residents in Jasper County will be among those honoring the brave service men and women.

Special Veterans Day events are planned for Wednesday in Newton and in Baxter.

Hy-Vee, 1501 First Ave. E. in Newton, will be taking part in a free breakfast for veterans promotion Wednesday morning. The store will offer free breakfast to all veterans who come to the store between 5:30 to 11 a.m.

“For all the veterans have done for us, it’s just a way to show appreciation for all they do past, present and future,” said Mike Winblade, Newton Hy-Vee store director.

Veterans’ Day services, arranged and sponsored by the Newton Veterans Council, is slated for Wednesday, beginning at 11 a.m. at the VFW in Newton.

Following a call to order and the joint posting of colors, the invocation will be presented by Pastor Eldon Pals, and the singing of the National Anthem. The keynote address will be delivered by John Billingsley.

Wreaths will be placed by the various service and auxiliary organizations, and following the benediction and the singing of “God Bless America,” “Taps,” played by Joel Jones, VFW Post 1655 and American Legion Post 111 will close the ceremony.

In Baxter, veterans will be honored with a pancake supper from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Baxter school. The supper will be followed by a ceremony featuring Leland Lester, a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Doug Bishop, adjutant of the American Legion in Newton, who is helping plan the Veterans Day events in Baxter, said it is important to recognize the service and sacrifice of the members of the armed forces on Veterans Day and every day.

“All of these gentlemen, when they signed up for service, signed a check to be cashed up to and including the cost of their lives,” said Bishop, who has been integral in helping Jasper County veterans participate in the Honor Flights to Washington D.C. “The veterans from World War II continuing to today stand up for freedoms we take for granted.